Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) has debunked the claims made in several videos which depicted that its product “Golden Penny Semovita” contained synthetic plastic added to adulterate it
Reacting to the video now making the rounds on the internet, the firm refuted these claims, stating that the videos were “misleading and causing unnecessary worry
In one of such video, a female consumer of ‘Semovita’ was seen constantly washing out the product under running water.
After several washing processes, she had claimed that the end result – an elastic residue – was a plastic component which posed serious health hazard.
Describing this as an erroneous assertion, Flour Mills in an official statement made available to AgroNigeria, revealed that the residue was actually “protein and not plastic or rubber.”
It said, “Our attention has been drawn to a video that is being circulated on Social Media showing some people washing a pack of Golden Penny Semovita under running water. Like many things on social media, the video is misleading and causing unnecessary worry
“We can confirm that the residue visible after the washing process in the video is actually ” Protein,” and not a plastic or rubber as some people have erroneously asserted.
“Wheat is a significant source of natural, plant-based protein for humans, and can be found in many types of foods, including bread, biscuits, and more. The protein in wheat is the reason why bread products are chewy and give them an elastic quality. It is also the reason why Semovita is smooth and easy to mould when prepared,” the statement read in part.
Flour Mills further restated that its products were safe and suitable for consumption, as they had been passed fit by local and international food certification agencies.
FMN said, “Golden Penny Semovita is made from some of the finest and highest quality raw materials possible
“The product is certified as healthy and safe to eat by NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control), SON (Standard Organization of Nigeria) and several other global and local food certification bodies,” it added.
After much findings, AgroNigeria was made to understand that the residue found in the video was a protein known as “Gluten”.
Team Member of Flour Mills’ Quality Assurance Department, Olushola Oladejo disclosed that the flour contained two forms of the protein known as “Glutenin” and “Gliadin”.
With the presence of water, these two proteins change shape and bond together to create an elastic network of the Gluten protein, she emphasised.
Wading in, Professor Charles Aworh of the Department of Food Technology, University of Ibadan also confirmed that the residue was indeed “Gluten” – a natural protein component.
He described the video as an act of ignorance that could stir panic among Nigerians, amid the Corona Virus pandemic.
“What she called plastic is actually a natural protein called gluten present in wheat and rye. Gluten is actually made up of two proteins, glutenin, and gliadin which combine to form a natural elastic material as depicted accurately in the video.
‘It is gluten that causes bread to rise and gives wheat its unique bread-making properties. Proteins may take all sorts of forms. Gelatin, for example, is a protein from collagen derived from animal sources which is gummy when moist.
“The video is a classical example of the damaging consequences of ignorance,” Prof. Aworh said.
